NCAA notebook: Predators draftee Ivankovic among top goalies to watch

The NCAA continues to be fertile ground for developing NHL goalies.

Brandon Bussi, who played collegiate hockey at Western Michigan, also played a starring role in the Stanley Cup championship won by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Connor Hellebuyck, who played at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, was in the net for the gold-medal-winning United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

Among the other former NCAA netminders in the NHL are Jeremy Swayman (Maine) of the Boston Bruins, Jake Oettinger (Boston University) of the Dallas Stars and Joey Daccord (Arizona State) of the Seattle Kraken.

And more are on the way. Here are 10 NCAA goalies to watch this season, in alphabetical order:

Alexis Cournoyer, Wisconsin

After a standout freshman season at Cornell last year, Cournoyer entered the transfer portal and immediately found a new home at Wisconsin.

The 20-year-old, selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the fifth round (No. 145) of the 2025 NHL Draft, has gotten off to a 2-0-0 start, including a 4-0 shutout at Minnesota State on Oct. 9.

At Cornell in 2025-26, he was 18-10-0 with a 2.05 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and one shutout.

Johnny Hicks, Denver

Coming off a storybook freshman season in 2025-26, Hicks sat out Denver’s two losses to Michigan on Oct. 16 and 17 because of injury.

In the 2026 Frozen Four, he stopped 49 shots in a 4-3 double-overtime win against Michigan in the national semifinals and then made 29 saves in a 2-1 win against Wisconsin as Denver took home its record 11th national championship. The 21-year-old was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

That was the exclamation point on a 16-0-1 season, built on a 1.19 GAA, .957 save percentage and three shutouts.

An undrafted free agent who attended development camp with the Edmonton Oilers during the offseason, Hicks made 14 saves in a 6-2 win at Alaska-Anchorage on Oct. 2.

Jack Ivankovic, Michigan

The 19-year-old sophomore is off to a 6-0-0 start for the No. 1 team in the nation with a 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage, including a 33-save performance as Michigan completed a sweep at defending national champion Denver on Oct. 17.

A semifinalist in 2025-26 for the Mike Richter Award, voted as the top NCAA men's goalie, Ivankovic was 25-8-1 with a 2.15 GAA, .921 save percentage and three shutouts as Michigan advanced to the Frozen Four.

He was chosen by the Nashville Predators drafted him in the second round (No. 58) of the 2025 draft.

Christian Kirsch, Quinnipiac

The 20-year-old freshman helped Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League with the Memorial Cup last season and was named Most Outstanding Goaltender of the tournament. He had a stellar postseason, going 16-2-0 with a 2.32 GAA, .900 save percentage and one shutout.

After playing for Switzerland at the World Junior Championship in 2025 and 2026, he has begun his collegiate career 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage.

Kirsch was taken by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round (No. 116) of the 2024 NHL Draft.

Quentin Miller, Western Michigan

Hampered by an injury during his freshman season at Denver, Miller transferred to Western Michigan last spring.

At Denver, he posted a 12-10-2 with a 2.39 GAA, .916 save percentage and three shutouts, and he is off to a 4-0-0 start this season with an 0.50 GAA, .976 save percentage and two shutouts, and limited Notre Dame to one goal in two wins on Oct. 16 and 17.

He was selected by his hometown Canadiens in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2023 NHL Draft.

Jack Parsons, Providence

As a freshman, Parsons took over as the starter last January, won nine straight starts and led his team to the NCAA Tournament.

The 20-year-old finished last season 13-5-0 with a 2.05 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts, and began his sophomore campaign 2-0-0 with an 0.97 GAA, .966 save percentage and one shutout.

He was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets in the seventh round (No. 220) in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Joshua Ravensbergen, Michigan State

Playing for the Prince George last season, Ravensbergen earned Western Hockey League Goaltender of the Year honors and put together a 32-13-0 mark with a 2.51 GAA, .919 save percentage and four shutouts.

The 19-year-old freshman has won his first two collegiate starts with a 1.51 GAA and .932 save percentage, including 25 saves in a 5-1 win at RIT on Saturday.

He was selected by the Sharks with the No. 30 pick in the 2025 draft.

Jan Spunar, North Dakota

As a freshman last season, Spunar led North Dakota to the Frozen Four, where they lost to Wisconsin 2-1 in the national semifinals. He finished the season 20-5-1 with a 1.91 GAA, .919 save percentage and six shutouts. 

Undrafted, the 22-year-old from Czechia played for Portland of the WHL and Dubuque of the United States Hockey League before enrolling at North Dakota.

He's 2-0-0 as a sophomore with a 2.51 GAA and .881 save percentage.

Mikhail Yegorov, Boston University

A thinking man’s athlete, the 20-year-old junior is majoring in economics and math. Over the summer, he created a website, yegorovstats.com, that tracks his goaltending performance in every game using advanced metrics. 

The native of St. Petersburg, Russia, backstopped BU's run to the national championship game in 2024-25, where they lost 6-2 to Western Michigan. Last season, he was 16-15-2 record with a 2.73 GAA, .904 save percentage and two shutouts, and this season, he's 3-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA, .956 save percentage and one shutout. 

He was taken by the New Jersey Devils in the second round (No. 49) of the 2024 draft.

Lawton Zacher, Northeastern

The undrafted free agent is expected to get a lot of attention from NHL scouts; after two strong seasons at Brown, he transferred to Northeastern in 2025-26 and was 15-16-1 with a 2.20 GAA, .929 save percentage and five shutouts.

After attending development camp with the Seattle Kraken during the offseason, the 22-year-old is 1-1-0 so far this season with a 2.28 GAA and .897 save percentage.